Coin inserter



March 29, 1966 TRYON ETAL 3,243,030

COIN INSERTER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 20, 1964 6 it. .32 H 5? it: fwt 1 W .l

INVENTOR EDWARD J.TRYoN By MELVIN D. PERDUE March 29, 1966 TRYON ETAL3,243,030

COIN INSERTER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 20, 1964 INVENTOR. EDWARDJ.TRY0N BY MELVIN D. PERDUE United States Patent O 3,243,030 COININSERTER Edward J. Tryon, Trafalgar, and Melvin D. Perdue,

Indianapolis, Ind., assignors to Standard Change- Makers, Inc.,Indianapolis, Ind., a corporation of Indiana Filed Nov. 20, 1964, Ser.No. 412,656 1 Claim. (Cl. 194-1) The present invention relates to a coininserter finding an important use as a part of a coin changer but alsousable in connection with any coin-receiving apparatus, such as, coinoperated vending machines, coin operated washing machines, coin operateddry cleaning machines and the like. I

One problem involved in the manufacturing and use of coin changers andthe like is the fact that certain persons attempt to obtain money fromthe coin changer by holding a coin in the actuating mechanism. Forexample, some persons may drill a hole through a coin, tie a string tothe coin and drop it into the slot manipulating the string in such amanner as to repeatedly actuate the coin changer without fully releasingthe coin. Other persons attempt to operate such machines by insertingwire through the coin-receiving slot and operating the actuatingmechanism. Still further persons mischievously stuif paper or pour soltdrinks or the like into the coin receiving opening interfering with theproper operation of the apparatus. Consequently, an important object ofthe present invention is toprovide an improved coin inserter constmctedto prevent improper operation and tampering with a coin changer orsimilar apparatus.

Still a further object of the present invention is to provide a coininserter which effectively blocks the placing of paper, soft drinks, andother objects and materials in the coin receiving'chute of a coinchanger or other coin operated apparatus.

Related objects and advantages will become apparent as the descriptionproceeds.

One embodiment of the present invention might include a coin insertercomprising a vertical wall. and a horizontal wall joined thereto, saidvertical wall having an opening therethrough, a coin receiving blockslidable on said horizontal wall and through said opening, said blockhaving a vertically extending coin passage therethrough sized to freelyreceive and pass a coin, a coin chute fixedly mounted below saidhorizontal wall on the interior surface of said vertical wall, saidblock being slidable through said opening to a position wherein saidcoin passage is aligned with said chute.

The full nature of the invention will be understood from theaccompanying drawings and the following description and claim.

FIG. 1 is a front elevation of a coin and bill changer apparatus.

FIG. 2 is a side elevation of the structure illustrated in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a vertical section taken along the line 33 of FIG. 1 in thedirection of the arrows.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a portion of the structure illustratedin FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a vertical section through an alternative embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 6 is a vertical section through still another embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 7 is a side elevation of still a further embodiment of the presentinvention with portions thereof broken away to show the internalstructure of the device.

For the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles of theinvention, reference will now be made to the embodiment illustrated inthe drawing and specific language will be used to describe the same. Itwill never- 3,243,030 Patented Mar. 29, 1966 "ice theless be understoodthat no limitation of thescope of the inventionis there'by intended,such alterations and further modifications in the illustrated device,and such further applications of the principles of the invention 'asillustrated therein being contemplated as would normally occur to oneskilled in the art to which the invention relates.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, there is illustrated acoin and bill changer 10 having bill changing apparatus 11 incorporatedtherein and having coin receiving means 12 for providing coins toactuate the apparatus 10 to dispense change to a payout chute orreceptacle 15. The details of the bill changer'apparatus do not form apart of the present invention and, consequently, will not be describedfurther herein.

Referring to FIG. 2, the coin passes through the coinrec'eiving means 12into a chute '16, thence to a'coin rejector 17 and into a pawl mechanism20 (in a'rne'chanical-type apparatus) or past an electrical switch (inan electrical-type of apparatus). The pawlmechanism and electricalswitchare herein referred to generically as actuating mechanism. Thedetails of the apparatus 17 and 20 do not form a part of the presentinvention and consequently, will not be described further herein. Itshould be understood, however, in mostsituations'the apparatus of thepresent invention will be used in connection with apparatus suchas 16,'17 and 20.

Referring now to FIG. 3,"there is illustrated the coin receiving means12 which includes a vertical wall 21 having joined to the loweredgethereof by welding or the like a horizontal wall 22. The verticalwall 21 may be mounted to the rear of and in connection with a verticalportion 25-of a housing 26 While the horizontal Wall 22may bernountedbeneath and in connection with the horizontal portion 27 of the housing26.

Fixed to the rear surface 30 ofthe vertical wall '21 is a U-shapedbracket 31 the base 32- of which has welded thereto a bearing 35. Thebearing 35 is cylindrical in configuration and slida'bly receivesashoulder bolt 36, the shoulder 37 of which is tightly held inabuttingrelation with the rearward 'surface40 of a coin receiving block41, by the threads 43 of the bolt thread received within a suitablethreaded opening 44 in the coin-receiving block 41. The shoulder bolt 36functions'to limit forward slidable movement of the coin-receiving block41. Thus, the most rightward position of the block 41 as viewed-in FIG.3 is the position illustrated in solid lines in that figure.

The block 41 is also movable by manual pushing thereof leftwardly asviewed in FIG. 3 through an opening 39 in the wall 21 to the positionsuggested by the dotted lines 42 and wherein the surface of theblock-'41 abuts the surface "45 of the bearing 35. The coin-receivingblock 41 is yieldably held in the'illustrated solid line position bymeans of a coil compression spring 46 received about the bearing 35 andbetween the base 32 and-the surface 40-of the block 41. The shape andsize of the opening 39 conforms closely to the external shape and sizeofthe block 41.

When the block 41 is-in the illustrated solid line position, acoin-receiving passage 50 extending through the block is completely openand unobstructed in the top of the block so that a coin 51 can bedeposited in the passage 50. The passage 50 is suiiiciently large toaccept any of a plurality of various sized coins up to the largest typecoin which can be used to operate the coin changer or the like. Thus,when the coin is dropped into the passage 50, it moves freely to theillustrated solid line position of FIG. 3. The block 41 is then moved tothe dotted line position 42 whereupon the top 52 of the slot 50 movespast the housing 26 and the vertical or upright wall 21 prior to thelower end 55 of the slot 50 becoming aligned with or in registry withthe tubular member 56 forming the chute 16. Thus, there is no positionof the coin receiving block 41 wherein a person might insert a wire, forexample, into the passage 50 and still be able to manipulate that wirewithin the chute 56. This is particularly true because the shape andsize of the opening 39 closely conforms to the external shape and sizeof the block 41. Of course, the last step in the operation of thepresent device finds the passage 50 in registry with the chute 56whereby the coin 51 drops into the chute 56 and moves through the dottedline position 60 to actuation of apparatus 17 and 20.

Referring to FIG. an alternative embodiment of the invention might beidentical to FIGS. 1-4 as regards the U-shape 31, chute 16, the shoulderbolt 36, the coinreceiving block 41 and the vertical and horizontalwalls 21 and 22. The embodiment of FIG. 5 is different, however, fromthe embodiment of FIGS. 1-4 in that the housing 70 completely covers andencloses the coin-receiving means. Thus, the housing 70 has verticalwalls 71 and 72 which are joined by a horizontal portion 73. Through thehorizontal portion 73 is a coin-receiving slot 75 which is in registrywth the slot 50 in the coinreceiving block 41 when the block is in itsnormal, spring projected position. There is also additionally provided apush button arrangement 76 which includes the push button 77 and abearing insert member 79 slidably receiving the push button 77.

The embodiment of FIG. 6 is also identical or similar to the embodimentof FIGS. 1-4 with the exception that there is provided anelectro-magnetic coil 80 having a power source 81 connected in seriestherewith. There is additionally provided a normally open spring biasedswitch 82 which is operated by a push button 85 to energize the coil 80through the circuit including the wires 86. After the coin-receivingblock 41 has been moved from its illustrated solid line position whereit can receive a coin in its slot 50 to its leftward position where itcan deposit the coin in the chute 56, the operator of the devicereleases pressure on the push button 85 cansing the coil 80 tode-energize to permit the spring 46 to return the coin receiving block41 to the solid line position.

A further difference between the embodiment of FIG. 6 and the embodimentof FIG. 5 is the flat front on the machine of FIG. 6 as opposed to thestepped front on the machine of FIG. 5. Thus, there is provided ahousing 90 which extends vertically and has mounted thereon the curvedcoin chute 91 which leads to a position above the most rightwardposition of the coin receiving block 41. A coin may be deposited throughthe slot 92 which forms the opening of the chute 91. The coin sodeposited will travel through the chute 91 into the slot 50 whereuponfurther operation of the device is as above described.

Referring to FIG. 7, there is disclosed a further embodiment whichincludes the flat machine front of FIG. 6 and the push buttonarrangement of FIG. 5. The chute 100 is fixedly mounted upon the housing101 and has a lower end 102 positioned to deposit a coin in the coinreceiving block 105. Fixedly mounted within the housing 101 is an angle106 which provides a slidable support for the coin receiving block 105,the angle having a coin slot at 104. It should be understood that FIG. 7is somewhat schematic. For example, there will probably also be providedsome sort of stop means for properly locating the coin receiving block105 under the lower end 102 of the chute with the spring 107 providingthe motive force for moving the block to the illustrated rightwardposition. The embodiment of FIG. 7 is operated similarly to the abovedescribed embodiments. Thus, a coin is dropped through the chute 100into the slot 110 in the coin receiving block 105. The push button 111is then pressed in or moved leftwardly to move the block 105 to the leftto a position wherein the slot 110 in the block 105 is over the chute112. The coin then drops into the chute 112 and the spring 107 returnsthe block 105 to the illustrated position. Similarly to the abovedescribed structure, the chute 112 is arranged to guide the coin to coinrejector mechanism 17 or to other such coin receiving mechanism in thehousing 101.

It will be evident from the above description that the present inventionprovides an improved coin inserter usable for blocking the improperoperation of a coin changer apparatus as Well as related apparatus. Itwill also be evident that the coin inserter of the present inventionprovides improved means for preventing the pouring of soft drinks in acoin receiving slot and for preventing the stufiing of paper in a coinreceiving slot.

While the invention has been illustrated and described in detail in thedrawings and foregoing description, the same is to be considered asillustrative and not restrictive in character, it being understood thatonly the preferred embodiment has been shown and described and that allchanges and modifications that come within the spirit of the inventionand the scope of the claim are also desired to be protected.

The invention claimed is:

A coin inserter comprising a vertical wall having an exterior surfaceand an interior surface and a horizontal wall joined thereto andextending from the exterior surface thereof, said vertical wall havingan opening therethrough, a coin receiving block slidable on saidhorizontal wall and through said opening, said-block having a verticallyextending coin passage therethrough sized to freely receive and pass acoin, a coin chute fixedly mounted below said horizontal wall on theinterior surface of said vertical wall, said block being slidablethrough said opening to a position wherein said coin passage is alignedwith said chute, electro-magnetic means for actuating said block to moveit through said opening to said position, and resilient means for movingsaid block back through said opening when said electromagnetic means isde-energized.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 596,862 1/1898Emerson et al. 194-48 689,161 12/1901 Buck 19491 93 8,900 11/1909Schmitt 194-26 2,370,743 3/1945 Micheline.

RAPHAEL M. LUPO, Primary Examiner.

LOUIS J. DEMBO, Examiner.

S. TOLLBERG, Assistant Examiner.

